Intel® Ethernet Adapters Compatibility with VMware*
Content Type: Compatibility | Article ID: 000005693 | Last Reviewed: 02/11/2025
Various versions of VMware* ESXi widely support Intel® Ethernet devices.
VMware, Inc., maintains hardware compatibility guides for various versions of VMware ESXi.
Contact your system hardware vendor directly before adding an Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter to a certified system.
How do I find Intel Ethernet Network Adapters and drivers in the VMware Compatibility Guide?
| Note | Driver types are inbox or async:
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Where do I get technical support?
Technical support for VMware driver and operating system issues are provided by VMware Support or through the VMware Communities.
Check with Intel Customer Support about warranty service for defective retail Intel Ethernet Network Adapters.
The driver title lists supported Intel® Ethernet Controllers. How do I know if the driver is correct for my Intel Ethernet Network Adapter?
| Note | Intel recommends using the Native Mode API-based ESXi drivers for all Intel® Ethernet Network Adapters. Native Mode API-based ESXi drivers naming scheme ends with the letter n. For example, the Intel Ethernet 700 Series Network Adapter Native Mode API-based ESXi driver is named i40en. When selecting a driver from the VMware VCG site, use caution to select the Native Mode API-based ESXi driver because the version number may be lower than the legacy (VMKLinux API-based) driver. |
See the table below for examples of the recent Intel Ethernet Network Adapters and how they're mapped to controllers and VMware Native Mode API-based ESXi drivers.
| Driver | Controller / Connection | Adapter |
| icen | Intel® Ethernet 800 Series | Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter E810 (All Product SKUs) |
| i40en | Intel® Ethernet Controller XL710 | Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XL710-QDA1 Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter XL710-QDA2 Intel® Ethernet I/O Module XL710-Q1 Intel® Ethernet I/O Module XL710-Q2 |
| Intel® Ethernet Controller X710 | Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-DA2 Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-DA4 Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X710-T4 Intel® Ethernet Controller X710/X557-AT 10GBASE-T Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X710-T2L Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter X710-T4L | |
| Intel® Ethernet Controller XXV710 | Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA1 Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710-DA2 Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter XXV710 OCP | |
| Intel® Ethernet Connection X722 | Intel® Ethernet Connection X722 for 10GBASE-T Intel® Ethernet Connection X722 for 10GbE backplane Intel® Ethernet Connection X722 for 10GbE QSFP+ Intel® Ethernet Connection X722 for 10GbE SFP+ Intel® Ethernet Connection X722 for 1GbE | |
| ixgben | Intel® Ethernet Controller X550 | Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X550-T1 Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X550-T2 |
| Intel® Ethernet Controller X540 | Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540-T1 Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540-T2 | |
| Intel® 82599 10 Gigabit Ethernet Controller | Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X520 (-SR2, -SR1, -LR1, -DA2, -T2, and so on) | |
| Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520 (-SR2, -SR1, -LR1, -DA2, -T2, and so on) | ||
| Intel® Ethernet Connection X552 | Intel® Ethernet Connection X552 10 GbE Backplane Intel® Ethernet Connection X552 10 GbE SFP+ Intel® Ethernet Connection X552/X557-AT 10GBASE-T | |
| igbn | Intel® Ethernet Controller I350 | Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I350 (-T2, -T4, -F2, -F4) |
| Intel® Ethernet Connection I354 | Intel® Ethernet Connection I354 1.0 GbE Backplane Intel® Ethernet Connection I354 2.5 GbE Backplane | |
| Intel® 82580 Gigabit Ethernet Controller | Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I340 (-T4, -F4) |